Given my amazing talent in the kitchen—demonstrated by burning rice and over-frying virtually anything—the last thing I expected doing was attempting to cook a cuisine I do not really eat on a daily basis. It’s hard enough for me to prepare adobo or kare-kare, so imagine cooking dishes with ingredients you aren’t exactly close friends with.

But I love Thai food, and I was going to Chiang Mai—famous for its numerous cooking schools—so I thought, “yeah why not?”. I figured that with proper guidance from someone truly knowledgeable, I could whip up something edible ... maybe even delicious. And damn right I did—thanks to Mama Noi Thai Cookery School!

Our cooking teacher, Peanut, and new friends from around the world

left: massaman curry; right: pad thai

Established in 2015, Mama Noi is one of the most popular cooking schools in Chiang Mai. Built upon the belief that food brings people around the world together, the school aims to share not only kitchen techniques and delicious recipes to its guests but also insights about Thai culture and of course, a memorable experience in Chiang Mai. Having experienced it myself, I absolutely agree—my Mama Noi cooking class is one of the best experiences I’ve had, ever, anywhere!

My best friend and I secured slots to the class via KKday, which offers options for a Full Day Course (5 dishes) or a Half Day Course (3 dishes) for only 875 baht and 750 baht respectively. Since we had limited time in Chiang Mai, we thought that a half-day class would do. Looking back, I wish we did the full-day option!

Our KKday vouchers (buy here) already include hotel transfers, so at around 9:00AM, we were picked up by an air-conditioned van from our Airbnb. A short drive later, we arrived at a local market, where we met our cooking teacher, Peanut. She explained about the different ingredients commonly used in Thai cuisine (I didn’t even know there was a sweet basil and a hot basil before this tour, LOL)—and as she made us smell each one of them, I grew even more excited, and hungry!

We then proceeded to Mama Noi’s cooking school—a cozy, airy learning space hidden amidst a beautiful organic garden. Seeing the set-up is just so exciting: cutting boards, knives, and aprons were impeccably arranged in two tables; cooking stations were all organized, pots, pans, spoons, and all; herbs, veggies, and spices bedeck the set ups. I couldn’t wait to start!

Soon, a few more people came in, and we were divided into two groups. Guests can choose which language they are comfortable with (English or Chinese) and will be assigned a corresponding teacher. Of course we went with Peanut along with 3 other students from the US and one from Romania. I made sure to tell them I’m a total novice, you know … just in case I accidentally chop their finger or something, hahaha.

Then Peanut came back carrying menus, and we were asked to choose 3 dishes from 3 categories: soup, stir-fry, and curry. I chose the Pad Kra Pao (Stir-Fried Chicken with Basil), Tom Yum Goong (shrimp), and Khao Soi, while Alej went for the Pad Thai, Tom Kha Kai, and Green Curry. As a bonus, we were all also going to make some Thai iced tea!

As soon as I put on my apron, all my worries about my first ever cooking class vanished. Peanut is such a fantastic and animated teacher! She taught everything in a straightforward, easy-to-understand, and fun manner—from making sauces and prepping our ingredients to executing the actual cooking process. I felt like a natural, like I was born to make people happy with my Thai creations, hahaha!

I am not trying to praise myself, but my Tom Yum Goong is … I don’t know, maybe I’d go for “perfect”? Hahaha! I could taste the sourness and the kick, and could identify the flavors of all ingredients I put in. I could serve this in a restaurant where my family is dining and they wouldn’t even know that I cooked it!

The second dish, the stir-fry, is even more exciting to cook, since we had to constantly move the items around and pretend that we were legit chefs. I think I might have fucked up my chicken with all the stirring, but taste-wise, it was amazing! A good fusion of salty and spicy. Man, I would order this from me. LOL!

For the curry course, we did something extra fun: we made our own curry pastes from scratch. I never thought it was that fussy to prepare. Using our mortars and pestles, we pounded on our individual mixes until they became fine pastes. And then it was cooking time!

The khao soiis a noodle dish with a curry sauce and a variety of toppings (crispy egg noodles being the distinct one), and I was very eager to try all variations of this dish in Chiang Mai. But wouldn’t you know it—all khao soi stalls were closed for Songkran! Therefore, the only khao soi I tried in Thailand was the one I made myself—good thing it tasted delicious!

Lastly, we made some Thai iced tea—a refreshing way to end our yummy and spicy Thai meal. I loved how I could control how strong or sweet I wanted it. I bought some Thai tea bags from the market and I would definitely recreate this at home!

After the class, we just hung around, continued to eat our creations, and chatted with our newfound friends. Before taking us back to our hotels, Peanut handed us complimentary cookbooks containing 20 Thai recipes. Oh man, I love Mama Noi!

Honestly, I never thought this Mama Noi Thai cooking class would be this fun! Sure, I expected to learn a thing or two, and gain some confidence with my kitchen skills, but I never imagined this would turn out to be one of the highlights of my recent Thailand trip. Do yourself a favor and cross this off your bucket list; moreover, get some KKday vouchers for your friends who love to cook—they are going to thank you endlessly for it. Happy cooking!